When Pierer Industrie AG purchased Husqvarna from BMW in January, it was obvious some major changes were on their way. Pierer Industries AG is owned by Stefan Pierer, who happens to be chief executive officer of KTM, which also happens to be the parent company of Husaberg. That’s three European motorcycle manufacturers with strong off-road lineages in the same family. Something was bound to happen.

Well the other shoe has finally dropped, with the announcement of Husqvarna and Husaberg reuniting to forming a new company to be called Husqvarna Sportmotorcycle GmbH, with . The move reunites the two Swedish marques after years under the ownership of other companies in Italy, Austria and Germany.

Husqvarna and Husaberg have a shared history. Husaberg originated as a splinter group of Husqvarna engineers that started its own company in 1988 after Husqvarna was acquired by Cagiva. From that point on, the two Swedish brands went their separate paths. Continue Reading »

Husaberg announced its 2013 lineup of off-road models including both two-stroke and four-stroke models. Internationally, Husaberg will offer four FE four-stroke models and three TE two-stroke models but the U.S. market will only be offered three FE and two TE models.

The 2013 Husaberg four-stroke lineup is comprised of the new FE250, the returning FE350, the FE450 and the FE501. The FE501 was Husaberg’s first ever model introduced in 1989, followed by the FE350, and both model designations return for 2013 with modern engines (510cc for the FE501 and 350cc for the FE350). The FE450 will not be available in the U.S.

The two-stroke lineup is comprised of the TE300, TE250 and the TE125. Only the TE300 and TE250 will be available in the U.S. market. Continue Reading »

The U.S. motorcycle industry saw a 4.6% decrease in year-on-year sales over the first six months of 2011, thanks mostly to a 17.3% drop in ATV sales. Motorcycle and scooter sales however saw a 1.7% bump in the first half .

Unfortunately, most of that gain in two-wheeled vehicle sales was due to a strong first quarter that saw a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. Second quarter motorcycle and scooter sales totaled 156,215 units, down 1.6% compared to 158,686 units sold in the second quarter 2010.

Compiled by the Motorcycle Industry Council, the figures represent sales over the six months ended June 30, 2011, from 19 reporting manufacturers: Aprilia, Arctic Cat, BMW, Buell, Can-Am, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Husaberg, Kawasaki, KTM, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio, Polaris, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa, Victory and Yamaha.

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KTM and subsidiary Husaberg have initiated a recall campaign for certain 2010 and 2011 models due to a problem with their handlebar clamps.

The recall campaign includes the 2011 KTM 450 EXC, KTM 530 EXC, Husaberg FE 570S, Husaberg FS 570 and the 2010-2011 KTM 690 Enduro R. The recall affects 1,228 units.

The handlebar clamps on the affected may develop cracks potentially allowing the handlebars to shift during use. According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the problem was caused by the heat treatment process used by a part supplier.

The issue was first reported in December 2010. A technical bulletin was issued later that month with a remedy. After the problem was reported again in March 2011 by a customer, KTM issued a revised technical bulletin to include more models.

KTM and Husaberg dealers will replace the defective handlebar clamps with new components milled from billet material and reinforced to prevent cracking.

[Source: NHTSA, photos by Mitterbauer H.]